When we think of the lodging industry in the US, many of us think of chains – those big brands such as Marriott, Hilton, and Choice that drive distribution trends and website bookings.

With household names such as Holiday Inn and Best Western that appeal to the US road traveler, chains also make a nice payday for online travel agencies (OTAs).

Though they seem to dominate the market – and they DO – there’s another, more elusive set of properties that is less frequently tracked, and even less understood. We’re referring to the independents, or what we call “the other 30%” of the US lodging landscape.